If only Malik Nabers had held onto a deep pass that dropped out of the sky, thrown by Daniel Jones, down the left sideline in the waning minutes of Wednesday’s joint practice with the Jets.
This was one of the few golden opportunities for a Giants offense that on this day could not be described as dynamic, a group that left the field in Florham Park feeling as if it could have done much more.
If Nabers makes the catch and the Giants close practice with an end-zone celebration?
“If we finish that two-minute with a touchdown we definitely feel different,’’ Jones said. “We all got to make plays. Stuff like that is gonna happen. We had a chance to come back and still convert so we got to do that. But yeah, it certainly feels different if we convert that two-minute situation.’’
Yeah, well, that did not happen. Nabers hauled in a pass to start the two-minute drill and then on second down ran past cornerback D.J. Reed.
Nabers, the No. 6 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and thus far this summer looking like a rookie sensation, turned to track the ball and simply did not secure it.
“It bothered me pretty bad,’’ Nabers said, looking somewhat downcast. “If I had to do it again I would work on something different catching the ball. I’ll just go look at it, see what I can do better and just practice that kind of throw again, practice that kind of play, practice getting my eyes around faster, finding the ball in the air.
“I didn’t really have to come back for it. It was just when I turned my eyes back on the other side of the shoulder I kinda lost the ball and I found it later. It was just a drop. I got to try to catch it better, I guess.’’
The Giants still had two more shots to score.
Jones found Darius Slayton on the left sideline but Slayton was ruled to be out of bounds — Slayton did not agree.
On fourth down, Jones could not connect with Slayton in the end zone.
This was always going to be a test for Jones and the Giants, working against what is supposed to be one of the top defensive units in the league.
There was not much risk-taking, as the Giants tried to pound away with their running game and Jones most often looked to move the ball with quick-hitters and short stuff.
On the very first snap in the team period, Jones went back to pass and it appeared he would have been sacked by Quinnen Williams and Javon Kinlaw.
After that, the protection mostly held up but the synergy in the passing game was a bit off.
Nabers ended up breaking free of ace corner Sauce Gardner for a big gain but that was in the 7-on-7 period. In the 11-on-11 periods, he had two receptions and one significant miss at the end.
“I had too many drops,’’ Nabers said. “I had a lot of catches that could have been made on the field. That was about me. But it was a great competition day, a great work day.’’
Jones unofficially completed 12 of 18 passes.
His best moments were a short touchdown flip to tight end Chris Manhertz and a scoring run when he showed his instincts by escaping the pocket, making a sharp cut to his left to elude the Jets defense.
Coach Brian Daboll looked especially pleased with that decision and the outcome of the play.
There were screens to running back Devin Singletary and Daboll’s scheme helped get Wan’Dale Robinson free when Robinson went in motion and found empty space on the right side for a completion.
On a solid play-fake, Jones planted his back foot and drilled the ball into the hands of Theo Johnson, the promising rookie tight end. Johnson dropped the ball, though.
Jones in his first live action since tearing his right ACL back on Nov. 5 got off to a shaky start in last Saturday’s preseason loss in Houston, throwing interceptions (the first a pick-six) on the second and third offensive series.
This work against the Jets was also challenging.
“I thought for the most part we executed well,’’ Jones said. “I thought throughout the team drills we moved the ball and executed. Overall, I thought we executed well against a good defense.
“If the question is, are we still improving, certainly. We’re still building and growing, that’s the goal, always. We’ve made considerable progress. I feel like we’re in a good spot, but there’s a high sense of urgency, certainly to continue to improve and get where we need to be.’’
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